The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN) has filed a petition with the Federal High Court in Abuja, requesting an order mandating the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to promptly unseal and vacate the national secretariat of the party along with its other offices nationwide.
The request is included in a Motion on Notice submitted by the plaintiffs via their lead attorney, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), urging a mandatory injunction that requires the police to take down all barricades, unseal, and vacate the PDP national headquarters.
The PDP national secretariat was locked down in November after confrontations occurred between two competing factions of the party—one headed by Turaki and the other associated with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The conflict emerged when both groups scheduled their meetings at the party headquarters for the same day. Police action ensued, with tear gas deployed, leading to the premises being secured and barricaded.
The barbed-wire barricades around the secretariat hindered the Turaki-led National Working Committee from convening its rescheduled inaugural meeting.
Turaki was elected as the national chairman of the party during a national convention conducted in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November.
Nevertheless, the faction allied with Wike opposed the convention, claiming it contravened existing court orders prohibiting the PDP from conducting the event.
Earlier, Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had prohibited the party from conducting its national convention planned for November 15 and 16, 2025. Conversely, a High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, later allowed the party to continue with the convention via an ex parte order.
During the Ibadan convention, the party declared the removal of Wike, its troubled national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, the factional chairman aligned with Wike, Mohammed Abdulrahman, and eight others due to claims of anti-party actions.
Simultaneously, in the case labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/252/2025, filed by the PDP along with its newly elected national chairman, Turaki, and the chairman of its Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the plaintiffs are requesting a court order prohibiting the police from trespassing, sealing, occupying, or limiting access to any of the party’s offices across the 36 states of the federation, including the Abuja secretariat and its annex.
The parties being sued are the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force.
Specifically, the plaintiffs prayed the court for “an order of mandatory injunction directing the defendants to immediately remove all barricades, unseal, and vacate forthwith the 1st plaintiff’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Plot 1970 Michael Okpara Way, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, including its annex, ‘Legacy House,’ at Plot 2774 Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama, Abuja, pending the determination of this suit.”
They also sought “an order restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants, or howsoever, from invading, breaking into, sealing, occupying, or in any manner whatsoever restricting the plaintiffs’ access to, use, or occupation of any of the 1st plaintiff’s offices in the 36 states of the federation, including its national secretariat and annex, pending the determination of this suit.”
On the basis of the application, the plaintiffs argued that the police, lacking legal authority, invaded, sealed off, barricaded with metal wires, and occupied the party’s national secretariat and its annex starting November 18, 2025, and have stayed there ever since.
They asserted that the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs are key officials of the party tasked with its administration and management.
An affidavit supporting the motion was given by the PDP national secretary, Taofik Arapaja, who mentioned that the party conducted its elective national convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, where new national officers were appointed, including Turaki as national chairman.
He mentioned that the Independent National Electoral Commission was officially informed of the result through a letter dated November 17, 2025.
Arapaja stated that the party simply informed security agencies, such as the police and the Department of State Services, about an emergency stakeholders’ meeting planned for November 18, 2025, and sought proper security support.
He claimed, however, that rather than offering security, a group of police led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT, arrived at the secretariat on the designated date, discharged more than 200 tear gas canisters, and locked down the premises, barring party officials, staff, and visiting governors—including the governors of Bauchi and Oyo states—from entering.
He stated that the police operation occurred without a legitimate court order and constituted an unjust and illegal seizure of the party’s offices.
The plaintiffs contended that the ongoing sealing of the secretariat has interfered with the party’s everyday functions, such as administrative coordination, policy development, membership oversight, and election planning.
They additionally argued that the police, as a legal entity under the Nigeria Police Act 2020, should not behave in a biased way.
The PDP called on the court to intervene, contending that the balance of convenience supports the application and that financial compensation would be insufficient for the party if the requested reliefs are denied.
The plaintiffs argued that approving the application would promote justice and stop the police action from being viewed as endorsed by the court.
